Vacuum drying apparatus.



E. W. STROHN.

VACUUM DRYING APPARATUS.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908. 921 307., Patented May 11, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fay. J

a! W' 57 W36.

fizz/6222a E. W. STROHN.

VACUUM DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908.

Patented May 11, 1909.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

((5303 e o o o o o o o o u o o a o 0 m c o o o 0 o 0 0 000 OQQDOOOQO Winesses:

E. W. STROHN.

VACUUM DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908.

/% m W 4% m NW m 7 A] W 1 E. W. STROHN.

VACUUM DRYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908. 921 ,807. Patented May 11, 1909.

4, SHEETS-SHEET 4.

. 50 Fag. 7.

"A I 2 J b Win/asses. Ind/e057? W? w/ W z 5,4 y,% f J 6%;

izffa in eye.

EM L LH LM T OH PATENT or rion.

O U FALO, NEW YORK- VACUUMI DRYING APPARATUS.

Application filed November 23, 1908.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, EMIL WILHELM STROHN, a subject of the German Emveror, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vacuum Drying- Apparatus,of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for removing moisture andvolatile ingredients under a vacuum from fabrics, belts, cables, cordsand other mateiials which are manu factored in webs or considerablelengths and are wound upon drums or reels.

The apparatus comprises, briefly stated, an air-tight casing whichcommunicates with an exhaust mechanism and is otherwise closed, heatingchambers arranged in said casing at suitable distances a art so that theweb of material can-travel ack and forth between. these chambers,propelling rolls which arearrang'ed within the casing and draw thematerial through the apparatus, and a drum or reel upon which thefinished material'is wound and which is also arranged within the casing.

In the accom anying drawings, consisting of four sheets: igure 1 is aside elevation of my im roved drying apparatus. Fig. 2 is a verticalongitudinal section of the same, in line 22, Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section in line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top planview. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing a modifiedconstruction of the front portion of the apparatus. .Fig. 6 is afragmentary longitudinal section of the rear portion oi the apparatus,illustrating a modified construction thereof. Fig. 7 is a fragmentaryhorizontal section in line 77, Fig. 6.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

Referring to Figs. 14, Arepresents the body of the air-tight casingprovided at its front end with a door 20 for the introduction of theweb, fabric crother material tobe treated and having at the o posite orrear end a door 21 for the remova of the treated roll of material. Thesedoors are balanced by counterweights 22, 23, so that they can beconveniently applied and removed. The body of the casing is providedwith a raised top portion or donle 24 which is provided with an exitopening 25 by which the apparatus communicates with a suitable vacuumSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Serial No. 464,173.

! or exhaust and condensing apparatus. This i dome is provided with aremovable cover 26 l for giving access to the interior.

' B represents the heating chambers or sections which are arrangedvertically in the middle portion of the apparatus and which extend intothe dome thereof. These chambers are preferably flat-sided boxesarranged i transversely in the apparatus and receive 1 steam from amanifold head 27 through individual pipes 28 and discharge the condensedwater through individual pipes 29 and a manifold head 30.

31 represents guide rolls, arranged in the dome above the heatingsections, and 32 represents guide rolls arranged below the sections insuch manner that the web C of material is directed upwardly on one sideof each section and downwardly on the opposite side.

33 represents the drum or reel which contains the web to be treated andis arranged within the front portion of the casing. 'ihe web passes fromthis reel downwardly to the first lower guide roll 32, thenceupwardlyand around the first upper roll 31, thence downwardly to thesecond lower roll 32, and so on until it has passed around the lastlower roll 32 from which the web passes to a pair of propelling rolls34. These propelling rolls are driven by any suitable mechanism, forinstance, as shown, by a train of gear wheels 35, 36, 37 and 38, the tworolls 34 being connected by gear wheels 39. Pressure is applied to theserolls by springs 40 or other means for gripping the web, unwinding thesame from. the reel 33, and propelling the same through the apparatus. Ahand brake 41, 42 is preferably applied to this reel for controlling itsunwinding movement.

43 represents the receiving reel upon which the treated web is wound andwhich is ar, ranged within the rear portion of the casing. This reelreceives the web C from the propelling rolls 34 and may be driven by anysuitable mechanism, forinstance, as shown, by a belt 44 running aroundpulleys 45, 46.

l'Vhe-n this apparatus is used for drying material which has beenimpregnated with a stickysubstance, for instance, an insulatingcomposition, it is desirable to keep the sticky layers or convolutionsonthe receiving reel separate, and for that purpose a web D of drymaterial is wound upon the receiving reel simultaneously with the web ofimpregnated material. The web D is unwound from an auxiliary reel 47which is preferably provided with a band brake 48, 49.

Inv the operation of this apparatus the reel containing the Web to betreated is introduced into the front portion of the apparatus and theweb is passed around the series of guide rollers and between. thepropelling rolls and attached with its end to the receiving reel in therear portion of the apparatus. The casing is then closed and exhaustedand the web is slowly passed from the unwinding reel to the receivingreel. During its passage from one reel to the other the material isexposed to the heat given oil" by the heating chambers, while under amore or less perfect Vacuum, whereby ;z;oisture or volatile in attercontained in the web of material is thoroughly removed. This apparatusmay be used for drying fabrics before impregnating them with insulatingor other liquids or for drying the fabric after it has been soirrzpregnated. In the latter case the volatile ingredients of theinsulating composition are removed and recovered during the dryingoperation. The donze containing the upper portions of the heatingchambers concentra'tes the heat upon the upper portions of theconvolutions ol' the web and causes a thorough heating of the web at thepoint where the exhaust is most directly applied. When the web to betreated is folded, as rep.- resented in- Fig. 5, instead of being woundupon a drum or reel, the front portion of the casing is provided with aair of guide rolls 50, between which the we l) passes in being unfoldedand in passing to the first lower guide roll. When the apparatus is usedfor treating material which is not sticky and does not require theemployment of a separating web 1), as in drying material preparatory toimpregnating the same, the rear portion of the apparatus can be reducedin height, as represented in Fig. 6. The sides of the casing arepreferably provided with transparent plates 51, 52, for illuminating theinterior of the apparatus and observing its operation.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a hermeticallyclosed casing adapted to beexhausted, of heating chambers arranged within said 0815-.

. ing and separated by intervening spaces,

guide rolls arranged at opposite ends of said heating chambers,propelling rolls arranged in rear of said heating chambers and adaptedto draw the web of material to be treated around said guide rolls andpast said heating chambers, and a receiving reel arranged within saidcasing in rear of said propelling rolls, substantially as set forth.

2. The coi'nbination with a hermeticallyclosed casing adapted to beexhausted, of heating chambers arranged within said casing and separatedby intervening spaces, guide rolls arranged at o posite ends of saidheating chambers, prope ling rolls arranged in rear of said heatingchambers and adapted to drawthe web of material to be treated aroundsaid guide rolls and past said heating chambers, a receiving reelarranged within said casing in rear of said propelling rolls, and anauxiliary reel arranged in the rear portion of said casing for supplyinga separating web to the receiving reel, substantiallyas 'set forth.

3. The combination with a hermetieallyclosed casing adapted to beexhausted, a reel arranged in the front portion of said casing andcontaining the web of material to be treated, of heating chambersarranged within said casing and separated by intervening spaces, guiderolls arranged at opposite ends of said heating chambers, propellingrolls arranged in rear of said heating chambers and adapted to draw theweb of material to be treated. around said guide rolls and past saidheating chambers, and a receiving reel arranged within said casing inrear of said propelling rolls, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with ahernieticallyclosed casing provided with araised dome between its front and rear portions and adapted to beexhausted, of upright heating chambers having their upper portionsarranged within said dome, guide rolls arranged at opposite ends of saidheating chair;- bers, propelling rolls arranged in rear of said heatingchambers and adapted to draw the web of material to be treated aroundsaid guide rolls and past said heating chambers, and a receiving reelarranged within said casing in rear of said propelling rolls,substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMIL WILHELM STROHN.

Witnesses: v a

O. B. HORNBECK, E. O. HARD.

